Vacuum processor

Abstract

A vacuum processor includes a first transfer vessel that is connected on the back of a lock chamber connected on the back of an atmospheric transfer vessel and has a first robot; a second transfer vessel that is arranged at the back of this first transfer vessel, connected to the first transfer vessel, and has a second robot; a repeating vessel that connects the transfer vessels, and has a storage section in which the wafer is transferred between the robots; and a processing vessel that is connected, on an almost perpendicular side, to the repeating vessel around the second transfer vessel and in which the wafer is processed at a processing chamber, wherein the first robot has two arms that are expanded and contracted to both directions across a pivot axis, and the second robot has two arms that are expanded and contracted to the same direction around the pivot axis.

1 . A vacuum processor comprising:
 an atmospheric transfer vessel in which cassette tables on which cassettes having stored therein wafers to be processed are mounted are arranged at the front surface side and the wafer is transferred under an atmospheric pressure inside;   at least one lock chamber that is connected to the atmospheric transfer vessel on the back surface side of this atmospheric transfer vessel, arranged in parallel, and can adjust an internal pressure so as to store the wafer between an atmosphere pressure and a depressurized pressure;   a first robot that transfers the wafer;   a first transfer vessel that is connected to the lock chamber on the backward side of the lock chamber and has the first robot in the inside depressurized to the predetermined degree of vacuum;   a second robot that transfers the wafer;   a second transfer vessel that is arranged at the backward side of this first transfer chamber, connected to the first transfer chamber, and has the second robot in the inside depressurized to the degree of vacuum;   a storage section in which the wafer is transferred between the first and second robots;   a repeating vessel that connects the first transfer vessel and the second transfer vessel, arranged, and has the storage section in the inside airtightly sealed at the opposite side of the lock chamber across the first transfer vessel between the first transfer vessel and the second transfer vessel; and   a processing vessel that is connected, on an almost perpendicular side, to the repeating vessel around the second transfer vessel and in which the wafer is processed at an internal processing chamber,   wherein the first robot has two arms that are arranged so as to be rotated around axes in which each end is arranged within the first transfer vessel, have wafer holding sections at points, and expanded and contracted in both the directions across the axes to thereby move the wafer holding sections; and   wherein the second robot has two arms that are arranged so as to be rotated around axes in which each end is arranged within the second transfer vessel, have wafer holding sections at points, and expanded and contracted in the same direction around the axes to thereby move the wafer holding sections.   
     
     
         2 . The vacuum processor according to  claim 1 , wherein the wafer holding sections of the two arms of the first or second robot are arranged at different positions in the vertical direction. 
     
     
         3 . The vacuum processor according to  claim 1 , wherein the first robot holds a wafer on each of two wafer holding sections and takes in or out the wafer in parallel to the repeating chamber and the lock chamber. 
     
     
         4 . The vacuum processor according to  claim 2 , wherein the first robot holds a wafer on each of two wafer holding sections and takes in or out the wafer in parallel to the repeating chamber and the lock chamber. 
     
     
         5 . The vacuum processor according to  claim 1 , wherein the second robot holding a not-yet processed wafer in the wafer holding section of any one of the arms expands and contracts the other arm, receives a previously-processed wafer within the processing chamber on the wafer holding section, and then expands and contracts the one arm, and transfers the not-yet processed wafer into the processing chamber to thereby exchange the not-yet processed wafer and the previously-processed wafer. 
     
     
         6 . The vacuum processor according to  claim 2 , wherein the second robot holding a not-yet processed wafer in the wafer holding section of any one of the arms expands and contracts the other arm, receives a previously-processed wafer within the processing chamber on the wafer holding section, and then expands and contracts the one arm, and transfers the not-yet processed wafer into the processing chamber to thereby exchange the not-yet processed wafer and the previously-processed wafer. 
     
     
         7 . The vacuum processor according to  claim 3 , wherein the second robot holding a not-yet processed wafer in the wafer holding section of any one of the arms expands and contracts the other arm, receives a previously-processed wafer within the processing chamber on the wafer holding section, and then expands and contracts the one arm, and transfers the not-yet processed wafer into the processing chamber to thereby exchange the not-yet processed wafer and the previously-processed wafer. 
     
     
         8 . The vacuum processor according to  claim 4 , wherein the second robot holding a not-yet processed wafer in the wafer holding section of any one of the arms expands and contracts the other arm, receives a previously-processed wafer within the processing chamber on the wafer holding section, and then expands and contracts the one arm, and transfers the not-yet processed wafer into the processing chamber to thereby exchange the not-yet processed wafer and the previously-processed wafer. 
     
     
         9 . The vacuum processor according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a plurality of valves that release or airtightly block a path arranged between the processing vessel and the second transfer vessel, and between the first and second transfer vessels, and communicated between these vessels,   wherein operations are adjusted such that these valves exclusively release the processing vessel inside.   
     
     
         10 . The vacuum processor according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a plurality of valves that release or airtightly block a path arranged between the processing vessel and the second transfer vessel, and between the first and second transfer vessels, and communicated between these vessels,   wherein operations are adjusted such that these valves exclusively release the processing vessel inside.   
     
     
         11 . The vacuum processor according to  claim 3 , further comprising:
 a plurality of valves that release or airtightly block a path arranged between the processing vessel and the second transfer vessel, and between the first and second transfer vessels, and communicated between these vessels,   wherein operations are adjusted such that these valves exclusively release the processing vessel inside.   
     
     
         12 . The vacuum processor according to  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a plurality of valves that release or airtightly block a path arranged between the processing vessel and the second transfer vessel, and between the first and second transfer vessels, and communicated between these vessels,   wherein operations are adjusted such that these valves exclusively release the processing vessel inside.   
     
     
         13 . The vacuum processor according to  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a plurality of valves that release or airtightly block a path arranged between the processing vessel and the second transfer vessel, and between the first and second transfer vessels, and communicated between these vessels,   wherein operations are adjusted such that these valves exclusively release the processing vessel inside.   
     
     
         14 . The vacuum processor according to  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a plurality of valves that release or airtightly block a path arranged between the processing vessel and the second transfer vessel, and between the first and second transfer vessels, and communicated between these vessels,   wherein operations are adjusted such that these valves exclusively release the processing vessel inside.   
     
     
         15 . The vacuum processor according to  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a plurality of valves that release or airtightly block a path arranged between the processing vessel and the second transfer vessel, and between the first and second transfer vessels, and communicated between these vessels,   wherein operations are adjusted such that these valves exclusively release the processing vessel inside.   
     
     
         16 . The vacuum processor according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a plurality of valves that release or airtightly block a path arranged between the processing vessel and the second transfer vessel, and between the first and second transfer vessels, and communicated between these vessels,   wherein operations are adjusted such that these valves exclusively release the processing vessel inside.